Being an Airline Pilot Pro's/ Con's list
- Thread starter justinisapilot
- Start date
Samurai Sam
Well-Known Member
man, this thread was tough to read. i wanted to be an air traffic controller, but my parents said "NO! Be a Pilot! Its better to fly the damn thing than to direct it around the sky!" Yeah, well, look at me now dad! 4 years in, crappy schedule, 27k last year, missed every family event in the past 4 years...everything that was listed above! does that 10% of this job make it worth staying? It's interesting to think about. I'm just glad the Crew Lounge has some nice couches. I couldnt deal with a crash pad...I would go and start my own FBO. Really cater to the corporate guys...That would be cool...
This is probably the best thing that ever happened to you.
The career sort of sucks:
- You're always gone...to the point that you never really connect with anyone because you're always leaving or gone. Plan to spend weekends on the road with strangers and make regular, short visits with the people at home.
- Diet and environmental factors are extremely hazardous to your health. You can mitigate this somewhat, but it's really difficult to pack food for a reserve assignment if you don't know when/how long you'll be gone and if you don't live in base.
- Working as an airline crewmember means you're tired ALL the time.
- Free travel? lol...the planes are ALL over capacity and have no seats available...you're not going anywhere.
- On my days off, I spend all my time getting caught up on home things and working my other job and NEVER have any time to just do things for myself.
Want to fly and have the best flying experience you can have? My advice is learn a trade that will allow you to subcontract and have a lot of control over your workload/schedule (plumbing, electrician, software developer) and fly hang gliders.
Good luck.
jtrain609
Antisocial Monster
I could have written this post a few years ago.
But at this point I'm actually losing weight and my blood pressure/resting heart rate has gone down because now that I'm not in school full time, I'm able to eat properly, exercise regularly and sleep more. I pack all my food and when I run out of food, make good choices of what to eat on the road.
As far as being tired, you're correct when you're on reserve. Right now I'm able to fly trips that keep my body clock in pretty much the same place, so I'm not nearly as tired as I used to be. Additionally, I'm home 15 days this month with 90 hours of credit, so I'm on a 4 day off stretch right now and certainly feel like I'm home a decent amount.
The potential for it to become like this for me is the only reason I stay in it.
Every week, I want to quit.
I've been on reserve (or furloughed) at ASA since I was hired in early 2008 and watch every month as there is virtually zero seniority list movement. Pardon my cynicism but I'm about sick of it right now.
If you burned out in three years, it's probably more to do with your career expectations than the profession.
I have periods of elation and burn out as well, but I would probably have more extreme highs and lows if I was in any other profession.
It's cyclical. When the economy sucks, aviation is going to suck.
If zero seniority list movement bothers you, just wait until your first seniority list integration!
Lovely!
I have periods of elation and burn out as well, but I would probably have more extreme highs and lows if I was in any other profession.
It's cyclical. When the economy sucks, aviation is going to suck.
If zero seniority list movement bothers you, just wait until your first seniority list integration!
Lovely!
If zero seniority list movement bothers you, just wait until your first seniority list integration!
Just read the Pinnacle/Mesaba/Colgan thread here...
As you said, the highs and lows can be extreme. One day, you're a baller RJ FO, and the next you're furloughed.
If you burned out in three years, it's probably more to do with your career expectations than the profession.
I have periods of elation and burn out as well, but I would probably have more extreme highs and lows if I was in any other profession.
It's cyclical. When the economy sucks, aviation is going to suck.
If zero seniority list movement bothers you, just wait until your first seniority list integration!
That's coming, actually. I can hardly wait to go backwards on the seniority list some more. By the time it gets to my company, I'll have about 6-8 years here (I'm assuming 3-5 years for JCBA negotiations, which seems fair given the horrendous situation that has to be negotiated). Maybe I'll be back on reserve then as a result.
I hear you about the 'any other careers'...I'm pretty sure I'd still rather do this than commute to a desk job in the city.
Still...
jtrain609
Antisocial Monster
If we don't have a contract hammered out by the first of the year I'll be shocked. I dunno what your reps are telling your side of the house, but XJT ALPA is telling us that management wants this to move quickly and is willing to make a deal in order to put the JCBA and SLI on the fast track.
dasleben
That's just, like, your opinion, man
Heard that schtick before!
ChasenSFO
hen teaser
Quick question. I seem to notice the only people who complain about never being able to non-rev because of loads are airline pilots, and you guys can jumpseat. I just find this strange as I've been bumped off 4/217 flights since I started in October 2008(I actually looked it up once to prove to someone), so I'm just curious why you guys are always telling 121-hopefuls that the flight benefits are useless. All the rampers, flight attendants, and CS agents I know hardly complain and seem to always find a way to route themselves to/from on the various airlines they are able to fly free or ZED on. But I always hear pilots saying flight benefits are useless. Is it a lack of willingness to go ORD-DEN-SNA when ORD-SNA is full since you guys already spend your working lives on airplanes? I'm not trying to start anything I'm just really curious.
Nick
Well-Known Member
I am not someone that says the travel benefits are useless but I think I know what those people are referring to when they say that.
If you really really have to be somewhere, a wedding, a cruise leaving from a port on a certain day, a family get-together, you are not picking your destination based on loads at all. You're just figuring out how to get there. This is when non-revving can be challenging -- you NEED to get from point A to point B. You cannot cross out B and go to point C for things like this. That's when, as a non-rev backed into a corner, the "these travel benefits are useless" thought pops in.
On the other hand, if you've got a block of time off with no plans and are up to going anywhere where there's lots of seats open in business class, then of course the stress of getting to one particular destination is eased considerably. In this case you can of course just get away with maybe checking two months out, then a month before and start to make plans, and from there simply monitor the loads and make sure they're still reasonable.
I've done basically all of my non-revving in the latter category and my getting-bumped ratio is similar to yours with about the same total number of flights.
On the other hand, I fly with people that try and take their wife plus two children to a relative's house or on vacation and it must be maddening if the loads aren't good.
Non Rev benefits are different for different people.
For me, they're fine, but when you add another person, it changes some of the dynamic.
If you're staying in hostels overseas, they're great, but if you'd got a pretty swank hotel set up with plans, you're not as flexible.
Or if you're jumpseating, it's cake for the most part but then if you're non-revving out of a city like Istanbul, you can be 'load optimized' out of a seat for a week. Multiply that times the number of family members you have with you and it's an incremental mess.
It really just "all depends".
For me, they're fine, but when you add another person, it changes some of the dynamic.
If you're staying in hostels overseas, they're great, but if you'd got a pretty swank hotel set up with plans, you're not as flexible.
Or if you're jumpseating, it's cake for the most part but then if you're non-revving out of a city like Istanbul, you can be 'load optimized' out of a seat for a week. Multiply that times the number of family members you have with you and it's an incremental mess.
It really just "all depends".
dasleben
That's just, like, your opinion, man
They're not useless at all. They might be somewhat restricted for non-employees, but oftentimes they're better than nothing (except for buddy passes...almost always useless!). Personally though, I just don't like to go ride around in airplanes on my days off. I've got friends and family all over the place telling me "You should come out on your days off!" Man, I just spent 18 days flying all over the place, and now I've gotta get on another airplane on my own time? Not only naw, but HELL naw!